All You Need is Love
by burygirl
Summary: Joanna shares a cosy evening in with her little boy.


The wind whistled loudly outside the Proffitt house; the windows rattling with the sound of raindrops dancing softly against their panes. It was a stark contrast to the cosy warmth found inside its walls on that Sunday evening. Dean had gone out for a drink with Billy, and Travis had gone to the movies with a friend. Frequent yelling and laughter echoed down the hallway from the playroom, where the twins were engrossed in video games. That left Joanna curled up on the couch with Joey, snuggled in blankets and surrounded by comic books.

For almost every evening since she had been reunited with her family, Joanna had made sure to spend time reading with her youngest son, and it certainly showed. Joey's reading had improved dramatically in the past year, so much so that he was overtaking many of his classmates. And yet, neither he nor Joanna wanted to give up their sessions. That was their time, something special that they could share together.

However, Joey had been quieter than usual this evening, Joanna noticed. Sure, they often liked to pause and chat, and occasionally engage in all-out tickle wars. But this time, he was distracted.

"Joey, is everything okay, sweetie?"

"I'm fine, Mom," he sighed. Something was wrong. Seven year olds should not need to sigh.

"Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything." Joanna reached over, brushing a lock of auburn hair out of her little boy's troubled eyes. He turned his head, facing her with a worried expression that pained her to see.

"I know, but just promise you won't get mad, okay?"

"Of course I won't get mad, honey. What is it?" Her heart was racing. Was he in trouble at school? Was he being bullied? What had put him so on edge?

"Mom, are you gonna love the baby more than me?" His eyes burned into her, filled with fear.

"Of course not, sweetie. What would even make you think that?" She wanted to cry. Her little boy was afraid of losing his place in her heart. If only he knew how impossible that would be.

"I don't know. Mikey's mom had a new baby, and now she never spends any time with him," he said softly, his head bowed as he now averted his eyes from her gaze. "And I guess I thought, since she's your real baby…"

"Stop right there, Joey. You're my real baby. All four of you are my real babies. You didn't come from my body, but you're still mine. And sure, things might be hard when she first gets here. But no matter what, you're always gonna be my little boy. The only thing that'll change is that you'll be a big brother, too. And I know you're gonna be great at that." Her eyes filled with tears as she finished, pride filling her as she looked at her son.

"You really think so?" He raised his eyebrows in wonder, awed by such a thought.

"I really do, sweetie. But I wanna tell you a secret, okay? Family is something that we make for ourselves; it's who we choose it to be. So, just because I wasn't always your mommy, doesn't mean I will ever love you any less. We chose each other, didn't we?" That was certainly true. In fact, as soon as the option of legally adopting the boys was presented to her, Joanna had snatched it.

"Yeah, we did," he nodded, calmer after sharing his concern. "But, promise we can still read together?"

"I promise." She drew a cross over her chest, smiling softly at Joey. No matter how busy she would be when the baby arrived, there was no way that she would give up her quality time with him. That was something she needed him to know. "Who else is gonna fill me in on all the crazy things that Doctor Death is getting up to?"

Joey grinned broadly and threw his arms around her, careful not to squash her rounded midsection where his baby sister was growing. A few minutes passed by before he reluctantly pulled away, reaching for another comic book before nestling back in his mother's embrace. He loved his mom, and whilst he may not have been thrilled about sharing her with yet another sibling, it was nice to know that they would always have this.


End file.
